using its power for fighting; and rather when greater power is present, the activities and works of evil are greater, and when less, lesser. If indeed also in bodies, along with the powers of nature, the unnatural activity in them also ceases, although the unnatural is then more present as the order is entirely dissolved; so also in souls, greater are the works from lesser evil, and lesser from greater; for being isolated from its contrary, it increases in its own baseness and shapelessness, but being diminished in power and activity, it is at the same time weak and inactive; for the power is not from itself, so that when it increases, its power would also increase to a greater degree, but from the presence of the contrary --- and by the remission of power being weaker for acting, it is a greater evil, but it acts less. 53 If we say these things correctly, then evil should be said neither to act nor to have power, but its acting and having power are from its contrary. For the good becomes weak and inactive through the admixture of evil, and evil partakes of power and activity through the presence of the good; for both are in one. And just as in bodies the contrary becomes matter for its contrary, so that what is according to nature empowers what is contrary to nature, --- and what is contrary to nature makes weak what is according to nature, ---the order, in which is the well-being of nature, being hindered; so indeed also in souls, evil, having mastered the good, uses its power for its own purpose, the power of reason and its inventions against the desires; and they impart to each other of their own nature, the one of power, the other of weakness, since evil in itself is by nature neither able to act nor to have power. For all power is good, and all activity is an extension of power. And how indeed could it still be a power, being evil to those who have it, if the work of all power is to preserve that which has it and in which it is, whereas evil destroys each thing of which it is the evil? 54 Therefore, evil is inactive and powerless in itself. And if it is also involuntary, <as he himself says>, and unwilled, it would be in itself also a privation of the first triad of the good: will, power, activity. For the good is both willed and powerful and active according to its own nature; but evil is unwilled and weak and inactive; for the destructive of each thing is not willed by anyone, nor is it of power to destroy that which has it, nor of activity to not have its substance according to power. But just as they desire evils when they appear to them as goods, and evil is willed by them as an appearance—we say this is so because of the admixture of the good—, so indeed also power and action are in evil apparently, because it is not in itself nor insofar as it is evil--- for neither is privation that which is able to do something or able at all, nor is the contrary that which in itself has neither power nor activity; but somehow thus <one should name> it sub-contrary [Pl. Theaet. 176a], which in itself is privation; but because it is not a complete privation, but together with its state, partaking from thence of power and of acting, it is established in the portion of contrariety, and it is neither complete privation nor a contrary, but sub-contrary to the good, --- What then evil is and what sort of nature it has received and how it is and from where, is clear through these things. 55 But how many and what are its differences, must be said <after these things>. It has been said before, then, that evil is one thing in souls, <and another in bodies>---. And let it be said now also that there are these three things in which evil is, soul <particular and the soul's image> and body .... If, therefore, for the soul above, the good is according to intellect ..., and for the <irrational> according to reason ..., and for the body in turn according to nature—for this is its principle of motion and rest—. It is necessary, surely, that evil for the one be contrary to intellect, as being sub-contrary to that which is according to intellect, and for the other contrary to reason, wherein well-being is according to reason, and for the other contrary to nature <...>; and these are three forms of evil arising in three natures that are able to be weak on account of the lowering of their substance into the particular. For the wholes, as has been said many times, always have their own good; but evil is here, I mean

δυνάμει πρὸς τὸ μάχεσθαι χρώμενον· καὶ μᾶλλον μὲν δυνάμεως ἐνούσης μείζους αἱ ἐνέργειαι καὶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ κακοῦ, ἧττον δὲ ἥττους. εἴ γε δὴ καὶ ἐν σώμασι ταῖς τῆς φύσεως δυνάμεσιν ἅμα καὶ ἡ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀπολήγει παρὰ φύσιν ἐνέργεια, καίτοι τοῦ παρὰ φύσιν τότε μᾶλλον ὄντος λυομένης πάντῃ τῆς τάξεως· ὥστε καὶ ἐν ψυχαῖς μείζονα μὲν ἔργα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλάττονος κακίας, ἐλάττονα δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς μείζονος· μονουμένη γὰρ τοῦ ἐναντίου, κατὰ μὲν τὸ αἰσχρὸν αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ ἀνείδεον αὔξεται, κατὰ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐλαττουμένη ἀσθενὴς ἅμα καὶ ἀδρανής ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ παρ' αὐτῆς ἡ δύναμις, ἵνα ἂν αὐξανομένης αὐτῆς καὶ ἡ δύναμις πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον αὔξῃ, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ ἐναντίου --- τῇ δὲ ὑφέσει τῆς δυνάμεως ἀσθενέστερον ὂν πρὸς τὸ ποιεῖν, ἔστι μὲν κακὸν μεῖζον, ἐνεργεῖ δὲ ἧττον. 53 Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα ὀρθῶς λέγομεν, οὔτε ἐνεργεῖν τὸ κακὸν οὔτε δύνασθαι ῥητέον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι παρὰ τοῦ ἐναντίου. καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἀδρανὲς γίνεται διὰ τὴν τοῦ κακοῦ μίξιν, καὶ τὸ κακὸν δυνάμεως καὶ ἐνεργείας μεταλαγχάνει διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ παρουσίαν· ἐν ἑνὶ γὰρ ἄμφω. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ὕλη γίνεται τῷ ἐναντίῳ τὸ ἐναντίον, ὡς τοῦ μὲν κατὰ φύσιν δυναμοῦντος τὸ παρὰ φύσιν, --- τοῦ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν ἀσθενὲς ποιοῦντος τὸ κατὰ φύσιν, ---κωλυο- μένης τῆς τάξεως, ἐν ᾗ τὸ τῆς φύσεως εὖ· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐν ψυχαῖς τό τε κακὸν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κρατῆσαν χρῆται τῇ ἐκείνου δυνάμει πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον, τῇ τοῦ λόγου δυνάμει καὶ ταῖς εὑρέσεσιν κατὰ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν· καὶ μεταδίδωσιν ἀλλήλοις τῆς ἑαυτῶν φύσεως, τὸ μὲν δυνάμεως, τὸ δὲ ἀσθε- νείας, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ κακὸν καθ' ἑαυτὸ οὔτε ἐνεργεῖν πέφυκεν οὔτε δύ- νασθαι. πᾶσα γὰρ δύναμις ἀγαθόν, καὶ πᾶσα ἐνέργεια δυνάμεως ἐστὶν ἔκτασις. καὶ πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἔτι δύναμις εἴη, κακὸν οὖσα τοῖς ἔχουσιν αὐτήν, εἴπερ πάσης δυνάμεως ἔργον σώζειν τὸ ἔχον αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν ᾧ ἐστι, τὸ δὲ κακὸν διόλλυσιν ἕκαστον οὗ ἐστι κακόν; 54 Ἔστιν ἄρα τὸ κακὸν ἀδρανὲς καὶ ἀδύναμον καθ' αὑτό. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀκούσιόν ἐστιν, <ὥς φησιν αὐτός>, καὶ ἀβούλητον, εἴη ἂν καὶ κατ' αὐτὸ στέρησις τῆς πρωτίστης τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τριάδος, βουλήσεως, δυνάμεως, ἐνεργείας. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸν καὶ βουλητόν ἐστι καὶ εὐδύναμον καὶ δραστήριον κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν· τὸ δὲ κακὸν ἀβούλητον καὶ ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἀδρανές· οὔτε γὰρ βουλητόν τινι τὸ ἑκάστου φθαρτικόν, οὔτε δυνά- μεως φθείρειν τὸ ἔχον αὐτήν, οὔτε ἐνεργείας τὸ μὴ κατὰ δύναμιν ἔχειν τὴν ὑπόστασιν αὐτῆς. ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τῶν κακῶν ὀρέγονται φαινομένων αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ἔστι τὸ κακὸν τούτοις φαινόμενον βουλητόν-διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μίξιν τοιοῦτον φαμέν-, οὕτω δὴ καὶ δύναμις ἐν τῷ κακῷ καὶ ποίησις φαινομένως ἐστί, ὅτι τὸ μὴ καθ' αὑτὸ μηδὲ ᾗ κακόν--- οὔτε γὰρ στέρησις τὸ ποιεῖν τι δυνάμενον ἢ ὅλως δυνάμενον, οὔτε ἐναντίον τὸ καθ' αὑτὸ μήτε δύναμιν μήτε ἐνέργειαν ἔχον· ἀλλ' οὑτωσί πως ὑπ- εναντίον [Pl. Theaet. 176a] αὐτὸ <ὀνομάζειν>, ὃ καθ' ἑαυτὸ μέν ἐστι στέρησις· ὅτι δὲ οὐ παντελής ἐστι στέρησις, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τῇ ἕξει μεταλαμ- βάνον δυνάμεως ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τοῦ ἐνεργεῖν, εἰς τὴν τῆς ἐναντιώσεως μοῖραν καθίσταται, καὶ οὔτε στέρησις ἐστὶ παντελὴς οὔτε ἐναντίον, ἀλλ' ὑπεναν- τίον τῷ ἀγαθῷ, --- Τί μὲν οὖν ἐστὶ τὸ κακὸν καὶ ἥντινα ἔλαχε φύσιν καὶ πῶς ἐστὶ καὶ πόθεν, διὰ τούτων δῆλον. 55 Πόσαι δὲ αὐτοῦ διαφοραὶ καὶ τίνες, <μετὰ ταῦτα> λεκτέον. εἴρηται μὲν οὖν καὶ πρότερον ὅτι κακὸν ἄλλο μέν ἐστιν ἐν ψυχαῖς. <ἄλλο δὲ ἐν σώμασι>---. λεγέσθω δὲ καὶ νῦν ὅτι τρία ταῦτα ἐστὶν ἐν οἷς τὸ κακόν, ψυχὴ <μερικὴ καὶ ψυχῆς εἴδωλον> καὶ σῶμα .... εἴπερ οὖν τῇ μὲν ἄνω ψυχῇ τὸ ἀγαθὸν κατὰ νοῦν ..., τῇ δὲ <ἀλόγῳ> κατὰ λόγον ..., τῷ δὲ αὖ σώματι κατὰ φύσιν- αὕτη γὰρ αὐτῷ ἀρχὴ κινήσεως καὶ ἠρεμίας-. ἀνάγκη δήπου τὸ κακὸν τῇ μὲν παρὰ νοῦν εἶναι ὡς τῷ κατὰ νοῦν ὑπεναντίον, τῇ δὲ παρὰ λόγον, ᾗ τὸ εὖ κατὰ λόγον, τῷ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν <...>· καὶ τρία ταῦτα τῶν κακῶν εἴδη τρισὶν ἐγγινόμενα φύσεσιν ἀσθενεῖν δυναμέναις διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ μερικὸν τῆς οὐσίας ὕφεσιν. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὅλα, καθάπερ εἴρηται πολλάκις, τὸ αὐτῶν ἀγαθὸν ἔχει ἀεί· τὸ δὲ κακὸν ἐνταῦθα, λέγω δὲ